Nursing Professor Mentored Generations of Nurse Leaders

Professor and Department Chair Mona Wicks, PhD, RN, FAAN, says her "superpower" is the ability to see the potential in people and help them achieve their goals. She's been doing that for almost 40 years at the UT Health Science Center College of Nursing.

Dr. Wicks will retire at the end of February after 39 years of teaching at the college, where she has held nearly every faculty role - from instructor to professor to associate dean of research to department chair. Her impact has been felt from Washington, D.C., to small-town Kentucky.

Her students have included Ann Cashion, PhD, RN, FAAN, who went on to become the scientific director and acting director of the National Institute of Nursing Research at the National Institutes of Health; Dina Byers, PhD, APRN, who is dean of the School of Nursing and Health Professions at Murray State University in Kentucky; and College of Nursing Dean Wendy Likes, PhD, DNSc, APRN-Bc, FAAN, FAANP.

Dr. Wicks sees her role as that of a mentor and advocate. "That is why I love my job as department chair," Dr. Wicks said. "I am a shy person generally, but I am not shy when it comes to speaking up or advocating for others."

Dr. Cashion, now a professor emerita at the College of Nursing, remembers starting the PhD program 30 years ago. "I was accustomed to working ICU, doing some clinical instruction, and managing a busy household," she said. "Mona supported me as I adjusted to the student role. For me, it was a difficult transition and Mona helped me discover the fun in gaining my new skillset."

Dr. Byers also recalls the importance of Dr. Wicks' support when she began her PhD journey. "At a time when I struggled to identify my own research direction, she provided guidance, encouragement and clarity," she said. "Her support extended far beyond academics and played a critical role in my development as a professional leader." Dr. Byers has been nursing dean at Murray State since 2019.

"I am a shy person generally, but I am not shy when it comes to speaking up or advocating for others." - Dr. Mona Wicks

A Memphis native, Dr. Wicks earned her Bachelor of Science in nursing (BSN) degree from the University of Memphis, her Master of Science in nursing (MSN) at UT Health Science Center, and her PhD in Nursing Science at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. Her research has focused on the impact of caregiving for family members of the chronically ill.

When she was working on her MSN at UT Health Science Center, administrative assistant Florine Burch-Jones typed her master's thesis for her, she recalled. Burch-Jones also just retired after serving the college for 45 years. "We developed a strong relationship over the years," Dr. Wicks said. "She saw me move from instructor to assistant professor to professor to associate dean of research to department chair, and she has always been very supportive of me."

Dr. Wicks estimates that her students have numbered in the hundreds. Every current faculty member of the college who holds a degree from UT Health Science Center has been her student.

Dean Likes recalled that Dr. Wicks mentored her when she applied for her first grant from the National Institutes of Health. "I think Mona has been a role model of how you lead with compassion and thoughtfulness," she said. "When I approached her to become department chair, I already knew that one of her strengths was to mentor others and put herself into others in a way that helps them develop. So many people have benefited from her formal and informal mentorship."

Dr. Wicks' teaching gifts have been recognized many times over the years with awards, such as the Excellence in Teaching Award from the Student Government Association Executive Council in 1997 and 2001. In 2017, she received the DAISY Faculty Award for Extraordinary Faculty. Dr. Wicks also received the Chancellor's Distinguished Educator Award for 2003-2006 and was recognized as the Faculty Mentor of the Year by the Southern Regional Educational Board in 2002.

She has seen a great deal of growth in the college and has taught in all of its programs. "It has been wonderful to see the advancements of the school, getting the doctoral degrees, seeing the DNP advance and seeing us develop the PhD," she said. Both the BSN and the DNP are highly ranked, according to U.S. News and World Report. The BSN program ranks 18^th in the nation among such programs at public universities, and the DNP ranks 14^th among DNP programs at public universities.

As Dr. Wicks looks toward retirement, she said she is planning more travel but also will make herself available to assist in the leadership transition. "It's been a gift to see the university grow to embrace all different kinds of faculty, but sometimes for people to advance, it is important to step away so others can grow."